6 months! How is it even possible that the girls are half way through their first year of life! People really aren't exaggerating when they say it flys by! Jordyn - Can put pacifier back in her mouth during the night (Sometimes) - Rolls over to belly when going to bed - No longer needs a swaddle to sleep - Pushes herself up with her hands Adalyn - Sucks her thumb when she is tired or loses pacifier - Rolls over to her belly when going to bed - No longer needs a swaddle to sleep - Head control is getting better every week! - Pushes herself up with her forearms I thought these pictures were fitting because so much of what I am reporting on this month is sleep! The majority of this month has been me re-figuring the girls' sleeping habits. (That's really what the majority of this post is about this time.) People have told us from the beginning that as soon as you think you have them figured out, they change. Well, they were right! Months 3 and 4, the girls were on a great feed, wake sleep cycle and sleeping through the night...most nights! I felt like I had things figured out and everything was running smoothly. Then.... they turned 5 months...and everything changed!! The first thing that happened was we stopped using the swaddle sacks. They were both able to roll back to belly, so we followed the swaddle sack rules and stopped it. We kind of cut them off cold turkey. One day we were swaddling with their arms tucked in and the next day we just laid them in bed. The results were not good. It was like they had, what I call, restless arm syndrome! They'd fall asleep and 10 min later would startle themselves awake. While this restless arm thing was going on, they also started rolling over in their sleep and waking up...multiple times a night. Once they got good at rolling over, they'd immediately roll to their belly as soon as we'd lay them down. They began protesting sleep by rolling. When we had the swaddle sacks, we would swaddle them up and, generally, they would go to sleep. After a few nights, the novelty of rolling wore off and they decided they liked sleeping on their bellies. The only problem was Adalyn would get her arms and legs stuck between the railings and cry out during the night. We ended up buying a mesh bumper for her crib and that solved that problem. Along with not sleeping at night, they started taking cat naps. I was really going crazy because they'd only take 20-30 min naps! I was getting nothing done! Even my evenings were useless because Jordyn would wake up every 10 min for an hour or so. She'd sleep 10 min, cry 5 min, then repeat for an hour. Once we got all the rolling and getting body parts stuck figured out, they had to relearn how to self soothe. My mom and Mike came up one weekend and the girls literally cried 50 min before going to sleep. One would settle but the other would set them off. They were going back and forth screaming and settling. It was so frustrating because they used to go right down! I went in a few times but only made things worse. My mom was good to have around because she told me they were playing me. It's so hard knowing if they are okay or just want our company. The minute I'd walk in, they'd stop crying. The next night, they cried maybe 5 min and were down for the night! With all the changes that have taken place, they had to relearn how to self soothe I guess. Adalyn struggles a little still but Jordyn doesn't hardly fuss when going down now. She actually sleeps through Adalyn crying! After that night with my mom, they started taking longer naps! It's like they say in my sleep book, "sleep begets sleep". I adjusted their schedule and they take an hour to 2 hour nap in the morning and another good nap in the afternoon. Some nights they take a cat nap around 5. I started reading, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I've kinda been blending that with Becoming Babywise. So far, it's been working out! Adalyn's thumb sucking is so cute! We will probably pay for it later but it's kinda nice not having to worry about a pacifier coming out! ☺️ Enough of me complaining about sleep! This is what the fun part of our month has looked like! My mom made their adorable Thanksgiving dresses! Anyone who thinks these two are always all smiles, let this picture be proof that they do cry...daily! This was taken on Wednesday after we arrived at Emily's. They were pretty happy so I laid them down for a picture and they went into melt down mode! 😬 Emily helped me give a quick bath and then I fed them and put them to bed. The car ride must have really worn them out! We spent Thankgiving with my family at my sister's in Vincennes, Indiana. The girls both got colds so sleep was again interrupted. The great thing is they alternated nights! When 1 had a bad night, the other slept great! We enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal with my Papaw, mom, Uncle Randy, Aunt Connie, Emily, and Damon. We were able to Skype with Ashlan from Costs Rica and my dad and Michelle from Florida. Kyle's Ohio cousins also Skyped with us that day! Technology really is a wonderful thing! We stayed with Emily and Damon. They have some awesome friends who let us borrow 2 pack'n'plays, an excer saucer, and a baby seat. My mom also brought down 2 bumbo seats that 2 of her daycare parents are letting us take home and borrow. Emily's friends, Whitney and Kristen, saved us major space in our car! On Black Friday, we went to Evansville and the girls played at Papaw's while Kyle, Damon, Emily and I went out in the craziness! It was nice spending time with Emily and Damon! We had to get a family sweatshirt picture! 😉 We had our first snow of the season on November 20/21. Kyle left Friday afternoon for a youth trip in Chicago. My mom and Mike came up to spend time with the girls and me...but really the girls. 😉 We had so much fun! My mom ("Grammy") made the girls' Christmas dresses. We took the girls to the mall to see Santa. Because it was snowing outside, hardly anyone was at the mall. We had no line and were able to take our time with the picture. I wondered how the girls would do with Santa. They could care less who was holding them! 😊 Jordyn turned and looked at him and then looked back at us. She has been doing this thing where she turns and looks to see who is holding her. We joke and say she is thinking, "Wait,....who is holding me? Oh, okay, I'm good." Kyle didn't get back until late Saturday night. The girls were already in bed so they didn't see him until Sunday morning. Kyle went ahead and got the girls when they woke up. Jordyn was giggling with excitement. Even the next two mornings she would snuggle her head on his shoulder in the morning (She very rarely snuggles). We could tell she really missed him and was happy he was home. Here are some favorites from last month 😊 |
AuthorI am a wife, a mother of twins, a teacher, and most importantly a follower of Christ. I enjoy being active, running, and spending time with friends and family. Archives
November 2017
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